The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
by WishIWould
Summary: Real original, right? This novelization of the game I write mostly for myself - to explore and fill in what I felt from the game but didn't see, but also to bring the game to life in a new way. Shipping? You'll have to see :
1. Chapter One: Ordon

"This is the Goddess of Power." Her mother's whisper echoed slightly in the dimly lit shrine. "Din."

Zelda's toes caught on the stone floor, but she lifted them up higher, grabbing her skirts in her fists as well. She took a few steps closer to the statue, hesitant. The monument towered over her. The rain pounded against the roof, testifying of the Goddess's power.

The little princess knelt near the statue's strong, stone calves. She had to crane her neck to stare up at its rigid face. Her eyes raked across the Goddess's clenched fists, high cheekbones, and curiously round ears. The blank irises seemed bright and hard. Zelda shivered as she bowed her head in obeisance to the Goddess who had created the land. She was beautiful. Zelda hated her.

Funny, that of the three – Wisdom, Courage and Power – the final should strike her so deeply. She didn't remember at all her first sight of the other two Goddesses. Ironic, considering the connection to one of them that she had had since birth. Her fated bond to Nayru's wisdom would come to transcend time and legend, as it had for those before her.

But it was Din that she first remembered. Din who first struck that unknowable tremor into her heart. Young Zelda rode away from the temple that day, settling as close as she could to the bulk of her father's warmth. She shivered, leaning to him for comfort against the rain and cold – but from something else, too. From fear…fear of power.

* * *

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS

Chapter One

_Ordon_

I heard voices. Some indistinct and soft, others sharp. They pounded inside my skull. I squinted enough to open my eyes, and the light pounded at my sockets. "Ugh…"

The voices went quiet. "Don't try to move," I heard a male voice say, as his gentle hands supported my head. I gasped and jerked up out of his grasp. _Don't try to move?_ Was I really that hurt?

"You're fine," the same voice said, now holding my head with a firm grip. "Just keep still."

I settled on my back, stiff, and bit by bit registered different sensations of pain all over my body. My chest felt tight. My leg ached with a sharper pain, down in my calf. "Wha's going on?" I slurred.

"You rode into town last night," a feminine voice started. "You seemed ready to pass out right on your horse."

_Epona._

"You did pass out," the masculine voice added. "Once you saw us."

I remembered now. Everything was dark until I saw the glowing orange of lantern and torch light. A town, a village…somewhere to stop.

I heard a clinking noise and some rustling as others pressed in closer.

"Where am I?" I mumbled, putting my hand over my eyes. My head started to pound.

"Ordon."

I blinked, and saw thick eyebrows, a square jaw, and kind eyes leaning over me. They were the last thing I saw before my vision went black.

* * *

I dreamt of my mother.

_"Come on, Link," she whispered. She shook me by the shoulder. "Wake up. You ready to go?"_

_"Again?" I grumbled, shaking the sleep from my eyes._

_"Yes, son." She moved off to stuff a spare tunic in my travel pack. I sat up and brushed my hand through my hair, blinking the bleariness from my eyes._

_"Where we going now?"_

_She let out her breath and dropped her hands, setting a pair of soft sleep-pants in the bag atop the tunic. She turned to the window and scanned the skies. The barely risen sun shone through the clouds, reflecting in her eyes._

_"Wherever it takes," she murmured. "To find him…" _

I stirred in my sleep.

"Look at his ears," someone whispered.

"They're pointed. He must be Hylian, right?"

"Got to be," the familiar male voice grunted. "Never heard of anyone else with ears like that."

"How old d'you think he is?"

"How many times have you asked in the time he's been asleep?" another one said in exasperation. "Just hush, he needs rest!"

"Just a kid," the other one mumbled. "Can't be older than fifteen…"

"F-fourteen," I mumbled.

The people gasped, and a few backed away to give me space. I blinked, and the room didn't spin this time. I opened my eyes. A crowd, all dressed in similar homespun garments, stood around me. I was on a couch, in some kind fire-lit home.

I focused on the people, all of whom stared at me. A woman with a squash-shaped head dropped her jaw, small eyes bugging. A frail man stood beside her, nervousness written across his features. Another woman, large and hulking, watched from behind a short and stocky man's shoulder. I looked to each of them, one by one.

"Epona…?" My voice rasped in my throat. I swallowed.

"Who's Epona?" someone whispered. Indistinguishable, breathy mumblings ensued.

My head buzzed for a moment. It took a few moments for the buzzing to recede. "M-my horse," I said, working through a clenched jaw. Tremors started through my body, down to my tight chest and pained leg. I blinked, and felt wetness trail down my temples.

"Shh," a woman's voice soothed. She knelt by the couch and placed a cool cloth on my forehead. "It's okay." I felt soft fingers wipe my eyes, though my tears kept flowing. "It's safe here."

The others had the decency to look away, turning to gather on the opposite side of the room for my privacy. All, that is, except the square-jawed man I recognized from before. He stepped closer, arms crossed, and sat in the chair beside me.

"My name's Rusl," he said, once I had calmed down. "I'm the town's swordsman." He gestured to the kind, blond woman. "This is my wife, Uli." She smiled so warmly that her eyes crinkled up.

I looked between them and nodded. "H-hi," I said, reaching out my hand. "I'm Link."

Rusl shook my hand firmly, a smile breaking out on his face for the first time I had seen. "Well met, Link."

I nodded and smiled. My hand started to tremble in his grip. He set it back down, and stood. "I'll draw up a bath while Uli looks to your leg."

"Do you know what happened to it?" Uli asked gently, touching my swollen calf. I felt a fresh surge of pain, as if the injury had only just remembered itself.

"I fell off my horse…" In the rain. I'd been running.

She paused, a puzzled expression crossing her features. "You came in still on the saddle."

"I…got back on…" The night's events emerged from the fog filling my mind. "I…" But my throat swelled up, and I felt more warmth trailing down the sides of my eyes.

"It's okay," Uli hushed, putting a damp cloth on my forehead. It felt cool. "You're still healing. You just need rest."

I let my neck go slack, and my head fell back on its cushion. In a house, with people who'd bandaged and cared for me...

I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep as the group continued low murmured discussions behind me.

* * *

The next morning, Uli wrapped my calf in long, white bandages to hold the fracture in place. The room was empty now except for her and her husband, and the three-year-old blond boy that had finally been willing to peek out over the couch's arm only after the crowd had disappeared this morning.

"Were you traveling alone?" Uli asked, her eyes trained on each fold of fabric as she placed them.

"Yes," I answered, still a little hoarse. I cleared my throat again. "Yeah."

"Where are your parents?" she asked curiously.

"Not our place to ask, Uli," Rusl rumbled from the chair by the fire, where he carved a set of crutches piece by piece.

"No," I said, "no, it's okay. They're gone."

Uli's brows drew up in concern. "Oh, you poor thing…"

I shifted, uncomfortable with her pity, but figured I might as well get it all out. "My mom and I, we traveled together. She got attacked," I said. My voice got stuck. "She didn't make it."

"Oh, you poor dear!" Uli blinked sudden tears away and leapt up to gather me into a hug. "And you've been alone since then?"

I shifted to get looser in her hug, since my chest was still tight and it was awkward. But still. It felt nice.

"Uh, yeah," I said, and closed my eyes so I didn't have to register Rusl over by the fire, watching me. "Just traveling."

She squeezed me gently and let go, wiping her eyes and smiling at me. "Where are you headed?" Uli asked. "Is there anything we can do?" Her little boy came out and crawled into her lap.

I didn't know how to answer either of those questions. Headed? Nowhere. I found what we were looking for, and found that it was nothing at all. Anything they could do?

"I'm okay," I answered.

"You're welcome to stay with us," Rusl said, shifting to wipe his brow before he fit two pieces of the crutch together. "If your traveling days are done."

For a moment I balked, but then I thought about it. Mom would be happier to know I was somewhere with good people. "Thanks," I said, and shrugged to make it look more casual. Staying in a town for good…that felt good.

The little boy started to cry and Uli stood, moving off to a corner of the room to soothe him. "Colin doesn't like strangers," she explained, rocking him and speaking softly. "But he'll warm up to you." She smiled.

I smiled back, and carefully lifted my now-wrapped leg back up onto the couch. Stay in Ordon. I'd made my decision already. It _felt_ like home here.

* * *

Within the next week my leg started healing enough that I could get up and around town. With a lot of exploring and wandering, I started to attach more names to faces. Besides Rusl, Uli and Colin, I met Sera the shopkeeper, her husband Hanch, the nervous one, a short and stocky guy named Jaggle, and a few others whose names I couldn't remember. The village was the smallest I had ever seen. Just a few families gathered together in a settlement. But it was peaceful, and happy, especially judging by the kids. The families' toddlers followed me around with giggles abounding, and kept running around my crutches as I tried to navigate the village.

When I had come into town that first night, the rancher and a few other men caught Epona by the reins and led her through the rain to the town ranch. As soon as I could get around I visited her often, sometimes twice a day.

"Hey, girl." I shifted my crutch and stroked her muzzle. It was so soft. She nudged my midsection, sniffing around. "Sorry," I murmured, patting her neck. "I don't have a snack today."

"Heads up!"

_Thunk._

"Ow!"

I heard something roll in the dust. I looked up, rubbing my head and wincing when I touched the tender spot.

"What's this?" I grabbed the apple from the ground as a stout man strolled up the hill.

"For yer pony!" the rancher called back, grinning through his squinting in the sun. He sauntered closer. I rubbed my head, then held out the fruit for Epona. She sniffed it, then closed her lips around my fingers, smacking and snorting in her efforts to chew the treat.

"Have a good day, Fable?" I asked. I had to squint beneath my own, longer hair as the sun rose higher.

"Fado," he corrected, then shrugged. "Eh, good as any."

He slung himself against one of the stable's few empty wall spots. "Sometimes," he sighed, "I feel like those goats understand me more than you people do."

I laughed. Fado sent a crooked smile my way, then crossed his bristly arms.

"Gets a little difficult chasin' cows around myself." He raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah?" I ran my fingers through Epona's mane.

"'Smatter of fact," he continued, "I sure could use your help, if you'd like! A real, bona-fide job."

"Me?"

"Heck, sure! You're sure strong enough, and you've done good for this town a'ready. Stopped all the babies' squabblin', since all they wanna do is follow you around, anyway. And everyone's been pulling together to get you all situated – I mean, you've seen them workin' on your house."

It was true. It seemed like everyone had bonded together to make me welcome in Ordon. A treehouse already stood half-constructed in the small clearing just outside of town.

"And your pony'd be a great help," he continued. "Our old town mare Strawberry's getting old and no good for roundin' up the herd anymore. But roundin' up with a horse…so much easier," he sighed.

"When can I start?" I asked eagerly.

"Well shoot, soon as you're up off those crutches we can get going, huh?"

"Yeah!" I pumped my fists on my crutches and followed him out into the sunshine. "Wanna show me the ropes?"

"Right now?" he asked in surprise.

"Sure, why not?" I dug my crutches in the dirt and propelled myself forward.

"Wha – well hang on, kid, hang on!" He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up short.

"What? Come on!"

"Okay…" He followed me out of the stable. "Just keep outta the way, y'hear?"

"Sure thing," I said, leaning against the fences. I put my crutches aside and hefted myself up to sit on the rail, letting my wrapped leg dangle carefully.

"Awright!" Fado called from the barn. "Let 'er rip!"

The barn door creaked open and a dozen large, blue goats with distinct circular horns charged onto the field. Each animal slowed to a stop after just a minute and grazed in the pasture.

"S'all there is to it!" Fado called, tossing his key ring in the air and then stuffing it loosely in his waist-sash. "Let 'em out, let 'em eat, and round 'em back in." He patted his keys. "Hardest part's the rounding. Well, besides the feeding and cleaning and upkeep, that is." He winked.

"How do you do that without a horse?" I asked, curious. I leaned forward, watching one of the large goats wander toward us.

"Whelp," Fado started, and rested his hands on his hips. "It's a lot longer process, since I've gotta lead them in one by one. Usually I just approach 'em nice and easy and lead the little things by the horns. S'a bit of a different story if they're mad," he said, chuckling.

_Little things? _The one approaching Fado, at least, didn't look like anything I'd call _little. _The goat lifted its head and flicked out its upper lip toward me.

"It's not going to charge me or anything, right?" I asked warily, reaching for my crutches just in case.

"No! Naw, no, these goats are the gentlest creatures you ever saw!" He patted its large head just to prove it. The goat nuzzled its master's waist. "See?" Fado beamed. "Nicest things – HEY!"

The goat's tongue curled around the rancher's key ring, and pulled it out of Fado's belt.

"Gimme that!" Fado hollered, and leapt after the goat. The animal clenched the metal ring in its teeth and made a dash for the fence where I sat. I jumped to the ground with my crutches in hand, barely managing to use _them _to break my fall instead of landing on my injured leg.

"HEY YOU GOAT! WHOOOAA!" Fado shouted, running after the thing. The goat barreled back towards the herd, bellowing in distress. The whole herd started to move, following the large goat's lead. By the time I steadied myself with a crutch under each arm the whole herd was churning in a mass of bluish gray.

"I gotta get those keys back!" Fado said, eyes wide and frantic. "I didn't lock the gate and those buggers know how'da push it open!" He lumbered towards the animals, but I shot past him.

"_What_ in Ordona's _name_ are you – LINK?"

I pumped my crutches faster across the field, gaining momentum. A goat from the mass of blue veered my direction. I pivoted on one crutch and took the opening it left, straight into the riot of surging animal bodies.

Snorts and grunts sounded around me, but I kept my eyes peeled for a glint of metal amidst the dull fur and bone. The crutches creaked in protest when I made a wild spin on one axis to avoid a charging goat. Right in the middle of the chaos, I caught a glimpse of something shiny. Bingo.

I zig-zagged between two crossing goats, shifting from crutch to crutch in the churned-up mud to keep on track with the shifting pathway in my vision. I kept my hurt leg tensed up from the ground, relying wholly on the other leg and the crutches under my arms instead. Goats veered left and right and the line I envisioned shifted with each motion, but always leading me towards my goal.

The goat with the keys suddenly changed paths and cut in front of its fellow to charge towards me. I stopped for a moment and faced the massive animal. I had to make a split-second decision. Sit still and get crushed, or try something crazy.

I tried something crazy.

"Hyah!" I lunged for the goat's massive circular horn, abandoning my crutches to be crushed beneath several dozen hooves in the mud. Somewhere in my focus I registered another distressed yell from Fado.

I held onto the goat's massive horn and flapped in the wind like a flag as the goat threw its head up and down. My injured leg jerked in the air, and my other leg banged hard against the goat's side. I yelled in reaction to the pain, but kept my focus, and my grip.

I relied on the strength of my arms to pull myself closer to the goat's head. My good leg reached out, against the wind resistance, attempting to hook around the animal's back or neck so I could find myself a solid position.

The goat stopped suddenly and tossed its head again. My momentum crashed me right into its horns as I held onto them tightly, but the rebound left me right where I wanted to be – one leg on each side of his neck – before the goat took off again.

I linked my ankles beneath the goat's thick neck, locking myself in place, despite the animal's frantic motion. I leaned forward through the hoop of its great horn, then let go of them and reached down for the keys instead. The question, _do goats bite?_ crossed my mind just as my fingers gripped the ring, and pulled.

The goat resisted, then found itself distracted when my elbow accidentally slipped over its eyelid. I yanked the saliva-covered key ring up and out, and pulled myself back to grip the goat's horn again with my other hand.

"O'er here, kiddo!" I caught a glimpse of Fado standing in position to block any goats from escaping at the gate, just as my goat barreled past. I let my ankles go and hurtled off the goat, rolling in the grass till I came to a stop.

"What in _tarnation_ - kid!" Fado rushed up to me. I sat up, adrenaline still rushing. I hadn't felt any in _days._ "You okay?" he asked. "_Craziest_ thing I ever saw! Don't you go trying that kind of thing again, y'hear me?"

I beamed, pleased. Fado stopped his tirade, bewildered.

"Got your keys," I said, holding up the green foam-covered metal ring. A lop-sided grin spread over my face as Fado, disbelieving, reached to take the key ring from my hand. He pulled me to my feet.

"How did you – where on _earth_ did you learn crazy moves like that?" Fado asked, still in shock as he locked the gate, allowing the goats to slow down on their own time now that we were both out of the fray.

I shrugged. "Active childhood?" Mom always encouraged me to let loose in play time.

He stared for a moment, then gave up and shook his head. He wouldn't show it for the world, but I could tell that somewhere behind his shock and feigned disapproval, he was pleased, too.

"So I get the job, right?" I asked eagerly.

Fado let out a grunt of a laugh. "Heh. Yeah, kid, you get the job."

I beamed again, too excited even to worry yet how I'd explain my new set of scratches and bumps to Uli, or the loss of my crutches to Rusl.

"Come on," Fado said, laughing again. He pounded my back and wound his arm beneath my shoulder to support me. "Let's get you something to walk with, so you can head home."

* * *

I started down from the ranch toward the village again, a broad grin on my face. I didn't even notice the cane I used for a walking stick slip in a patch of mud till I started wobbling on my way down the hill.

"Need help with that?" I heard someone ask. I looked up, expecting despite the girlish voice to see Rusl offer his helping hand.

Instead I saw a smiling girl my age, with dirty blond hair curving gently around her neck. With a lithe movement she put her hand on her hip and tilted her head. "Well?" she asked, giggling a little.

"Uh…"

She laughed, then snatched away my cane.

"Hey! What are you – "

Before I could lose my balance, she slipped under my shoulder and slung my arm around her neck. "Hold on!"

My stomach did a flip as she began to lead me haltingly down the hill. Who i_was_/i this girl? She was awfully close. Thankfully, I had my own footing to focus on, if I wanted to avoid stumbling and dragging is both down to the ground.

"No need to be shy," she said with a burst of breath once we reached even grass. She handed my walking stick back and pushed her bangs out of her face. "I'm Ilia," she added, a little flushed, but with bright eyes.

"Link," I answered, too surprised to say much else. My mouth worked for a second. "Uh, are you – "

"I live right up there," she said, pointing to a circular hut by the path we'd just come down. "My dad's the mayor."

"Oh." That big bull of a man? _Oh, Goddesses._ But she was cute, and nice, so... "I just moved in," I explained. "Staying with Uli and Rusl back down by the stream – " I started to point, but she cut me off.

"Oh, I know!" she said. "I was there! The first night you came in, I mean," she amended. "I helped bring your mare into the stable. Epona, right?"

"Yeah," I said, caught off-guard that she knew it. "Yeah, that's her."

"Right." She beamed. "She's a beautiful horse."

"Yeah," I said again. "Yeah…"

After a moment's awkward pause, she gave me back my walking stick. "See you around," she said with a little smile, turning to run back up the path.

"See you!" I called.

Hm.

_Ilia._

_

* * *

_

I practically shoveled my stew down that night, hungrier then after the goat-and-keys incident than I had been in days, lying on Rusl and Uli's couch.

"Have a good day?" Uli asked pleasantly, serving up a second bowl with a warm smile.

"Yeah," I answered, gulping down another spoonful.

"I heard about your day," Rusl said from the opposite side of the table. Uli fed baby Colin spoonful by spoonful at his other side.

I nearly coughed into my bowl. "Yeah?" The _last_ thing I wanted Rusl to hear was about me causing a ruckus at the ranch before I even started work there.

"Yeah," he grunted. He didn't ask, so I didn't volunteer any information.

After dinner, he took me aside. "That must have taken a great deal of strength, and agility," he said, meeting my eyes directly. "Not to mention bravery."

I shifted my eyes towards the fireplace, waiting for him to go on. Not a reprimand, at least. And though his praise was barely less embarrassing, I felt a quiet rush of pride.

"Do you have any experience with a sword?" he asked.

"Me? No," I admitted.

"I'm Ordon's swordsman," Rusl said. "I need someone to practice with; someone to train. Would you allow me to train you, Link?"

The fire's light reflected off his skin and his eyes, serious as I had ever seen them in my short stay with his family.

"Yes," I answered simply.

Rusl's face broke out in a wide smile. He pounded my back. "Good man," he said, and stood. "Welcome to Ordon." He went to Colin and his wife, and left me by the fire.


	2. Chapter Two: Grandpa Men

**Author's Note: Thanks all, for reading! I hope you enjoy. For those of you who follow me on deviantART, you'll note that chapters one and two are the same as chapter two there...sorry; I just realized the split was much more natural! Also, for those of you who read chapter one here on ffnet and are just now reading chapter two, I did some shuffling around, so the last scene from what I previously uploaded as ch 1 is now the first scene of ch 2. But don't worry! There's more after it!**

**Reviews always appreciated. :) I hope to post one per week, on Fridays!**

**And without further ado...  
**

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS

Chapter Two

_Grandpa Men_

I dangled my feet in the stream's clear flow, letting the water seep into my sandals. I looked up at the sky, where summer stars barely began to shine through the twilight atmosphere. I leaned back on my arms. Three years of training with Rusl had built and hardened them. Three years of this _place_ had done a lot to build up my soul, too. I felt almost as if I had been in Ordon forever. The good kind of forever. The kind that meant it was home.

A light rustling sounded behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder. With a fleeting smile, I scooted over to allow some room, and gave the dock next to me a hearty pat. Ilia, her hair and skin and clothing seeming to glow faintly with the moon's reflection on the water, settled with crossed legs beside me.

"Happy birthday," she said. She turned her vibrant green eyes and warm smile on me.

"Yeah," I said, laughing a little. I tossed a leafy twig into the water. "Thanks."

"Seventeen, right?" she teased. I rolled my eyes. We were the same age and always had been; she knew that. "Naw, twenty-three." What was she going to do about it?

Ilia laughed, and the water's surface barely echoed with the melodious sound. I grinned, looking down at my hands.

"I made something for you." She tilted her head.

"For me?"

"No, for Epona." Ilia scrunched her nose with a teasing smile. "Of course you, silly!"

"What is it?"

"Nah ah ah!" She put her hand on her hip and waved her other finger in my face. "Can't know till I give it to you!"

"Well your time's running out, my birthday's almost over!" I gestured at the rising moon.

"It's gonna be late," she admitted. "But! I'm not the only one running late, so ha!" She batted my shoulder lightly. "Little Colin still hasn't finished his gift for you, has he?" She winked.

I lifted my eyebrows, then tried out my most charming smile for her. "Tell me what _he's_ giving me, at least?" I cocked my head towards her.

Ilia tapped her lip and pretended to deliberate, turning her eyes up to think. I poked her shoulder and she started to giggle. "He's carving a fishing rod. Isn't that _cute?_"

I grinned. Cute, sure. Useful? Oh, yeah. How many times had I had to try with bare hands for these fish in the stream?

"Smart kid," I said smiling broadly. I got to my feet and helped Ilia to hers. "Comes from good stock."

Ilia stood, her hands lingering in mine before I let go. She beamed and looked up at me. Something about the angle of my face to hers, or the slant of moonlight and the solitude of our spot on the dock should have clicked. But it didn't.

She waited for a moment, then I scratched the back of my head. "Uh…want me to walk you home?"

"Oh…sure…" Ilia's head dropped, and her eyes grew pensive. I gave her a quick look, then pat her shoulder and led the way. I took her to her home and wished her good night at the door step.

"Happy birthday," she answered, looking up at me, her eyes reflecting the moon's light in an almost sad way.

"Thanks," I answered, lingering purposelessly. Her eyes were soft. I wished I had something to say, some excuse to hang around. But I didn't. "Good night," I bad again.

"Night," she answered softly, and shut the door behind her.

I turned around and shoved my hands into my pockets, slightly disappointed, though I couldn't pin down why. I let it go, and just breathed in the night air. I wound my way slowly across the bridge and through the village, to the small clearing just outside it where my tree house and training arena stood waiting. Epona was tethered to the post just beside the tree house.

"Night, Epona," I wished her, with a soft stroke of her coat. Three years here, and seven before that. Ten years together, to the day. "Happy birthday."

I pat her back, then leapt up the first step on my tree house's ladder and heaved myself up the rest. It was a good day, another good year…an image of Ilia in the moonlight floated through my head while I got ready for bed. Seventeen would be a good year.

* * *

A couple days later, I sat on the grass just bordering the spring water, twirling a blade of grass in my fingers. I hadn't seen Ilia nearly as much in the past few days. Barely at all, in fact. I figured that meant she was busy...though she'd never been too busy to stop and say "hi" before.

I flexed my fingers, and twirled the blade of grass the other direction. I didn't want to admit that it frustrated me, very much. So she was busy. So what? I had plenty of things to do besides spend all my time with the mayor's horse-crazy daughter, anyway.

"Hey, Colin." I tilted my head, watching the blade in my hand with a vaguely interested smile.

"Huh" Colin stopped his splashing around in the ankle-deep water, and turned his blue eyes on me.

"You ever been exploring past the spring?" I asked, leaning back to watch him.

"Nah," he said, ducking his head with a blush.

"Oh yeah?" I straightened. "Why not?"

He shrugged, not quite meeting my eyes, though a bashful smile lingered on his face.

"I used to explore around here a lot, when I first got here," I said. "I know all about these woods."

"Yeah?" He came closer.

"Yeah!" I stood up. "Here, come with me – I can show you."

Colin shook his head and pulled back. I knelt down in the spring water beside him, puzzled. "What's wrong, Colin?"

"It's scary out there," he mumbled.

"Scary?" I shook my head, even more incredulous. "Colin, it's just a path and a patch of woods." But he shook his head again.

"Dad said there've been monsters...like big purple grandpa men..."

"Grandpa men?" I laughed aloud. "Colin, I've been out across that bridge loads of times. Epona and I used to ride it all the time. Here, let me show you." I took his hand.

He dug his heels into the dirt path.

I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head. "Colin. It's _all right._ I'll be with you, remember?" I pulled him toward the bridge, and though his grip on my hand remained tense, his body loosened and he followed.

"See?" I led him across the wide wooden planks. He glanced apprehensively at the ample space between each supporting rope to our right and left, but I kept us to the very center of the bridge. No chance of falling, that way.

Colin kept tight by my leg until we reached the far end. I smiled down at him, and lightly chucked his chin. "Easy." He smiled faintly. I ruffled his hair, and we moved forward together.

"Look." I pointed ahead. "Just grass and trees." Colin still held my hand, but didn't hang so close. I could see the air out here getting into him, like it always did me. Woods…trees. The air smelled different, tasted different with the leaves on them than the air did in town.

"You can hear more birds out here," Colin noted.

"Why you think I like my house nearby them?" I grinned. Just then I spotted a patch of long grass. "Colin, look!" I yanked him behind me. "Whoa!" He trailed behind with a small yelp and a giggle.

"This," I announced, "is no ordinary grass."

"Really?" Colin whispered, awed.

"Not at all," I revealed. "Look." I squatted down by the tall blades, grabbed a handful, and yanked them up. A pungent, earthy smell assaulted my nostrils. Colin wrinkled his nose in disgust. "What _is_ that?" he asked, distaste evident in the curl of his lip. He eyed the batch of plump brown bulbs hanging by each root.

I grinned, lifted one to my face, and took a bite straight out of it, chomping it like an apple. "Heart root," I said, my voice muffled by the thick vegetable flesh bursting from my lips. A long tail of juice dribbled down my chin, and I wiped it off on my shoulder.

"i_Ew,_/i you didn't even wash it!" Colin complained. I shrugged, and took another bite. I'd been eating it since I was a kid, traveling with my mother. i_"Heart root,"_/i she had whispered, the first night traveling on our own. She had lifted me down from her black-and-white mare, and tied my cloak tighter against the autumn wind. She showed me how to find the grass, and the vegetable hidden beneath it. i_"Eat,_"/i she urged, handing me a large bulb. _"It keeps you strong."_

I glanced up at Colin with a full mouth and a juicy smile. He did not look impressed.

"That's not all they're good for," I rushed, swallowing the root. "Look." I took the long grass blades in my hand, and pulled both ends for Colin to see. "They're strong, see?" The small bundle of grass in my hands resisted snapping under the pressure I exerted. "Really useful."

"Can you whistle with it?"

I inspected the long leaf in my hand, turning it up and down. "No," I said finally. "It hasn't got the right width to carry a tune, see?" I ran my finger along the edge.

"Then how – "

We heard a thump, and a strange screech. Both our heads snapped up.

"What was that?" Colin whispered. I stood up, wary. "I'm not sure…" I rested a hand on Colin's head, then took a step forward.

"Link?" he called. His voice trembled.

"C'mere." I gathered him into my arms. He wrapped his arms around my middle and buried his face in my midriff. My eyes narrowed over his head, peering around the path he and I stood along. I couldn't see a thing. "Colin, can I go see…?"

"Don't leave me alone!" he cried, clinging to my shirt.

"I won't, I won't," I soothed, rubbing his back. But I _had_ to see. If something was out there, this close to Ordon, Rusl needed to know.

"Come on." I lifted him onto my hip, and despite his age, he held on tight. Six years old…I'd been six years old when my mom and I lived on the road, traveling between towns, sometimes just the two of us even as darkness fell. It didn't really matter what a big boy you felt like the rest of the time, if you were scared.

I pushed along the path in silence. The wind hurried through the grass at my feet a bit at a time, not wanting to make too much of a noise as it blew on its way. A low gate crossed my path, but I'd hopped it before. I stepped over more carefully now, with Colin in my arms.

I strained my long ears, but I couldn't hear anything unnatural. Nothing like that strange screech…. I picked up the pace.

"Link, what…?" I turned my head down to meet Colin's worried eyes as I ran. Just then, a wild, high-pitched gurgling sounded in front of me. Colin screamed in my ear. I swung away from a flash of purple flesh and hunched over Colin, just time to hear the screech again before a large, wooden bat caught the back of my head. _Ow…_

I let Colin go on the ground, and whirled around with a cocked fist. The grandpa man raised his bat, but I grabbed it with my right hand and tore it from his grasp. He didn't know what hit him before my left fist crashed into his nose, knocking him out cold. The creature fell flat on his back, and didn't move. I could still hear wheezing.

I glanced back at Colin. He huddled in the dirt, wide eyes barely showing above his knees. I turned and gathered him up again, still keeping an eye on the purple deformity that lay on the ground. He – _it?_ – wore some kind of skirt beneath its bare chest, but nothing else, unless you counted the cornrow-style braids gathered in a ponytail at the crown of its wrinkled head.

I took in the path beyond the unconscious body. A wooden gate swung back and forth, listless and abandoned – and open. I tightened my grip on Colin. How had the gate come open?

A small, squeaking hoot sounded from the dark recesses of the rocky opening. I stared, my eyes narrowed again. I saw black, beady eyes, and a flash of pink. Then it disappeared.

I turned away, and headed back down the path to Ordon, speaking soft words to Colin. "Sorry," I whispered. "Sorry I scared you…."

"S'okay," he mumbled back, still holding on tightly. I carried him in silence as we made our way back home, not protesting a single word when he refused to be put down even back in familiar Ordon territory.

* * *

I brought Colin home safe and sound. He promised not to tell what happened. Bringing Colin into the forest, without a weapon to speak of between us? _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ Rusl would kill me.

The next day in training, I could barely concentrate on what I was doing. _Whack._ My wooden blade smacked against Rusl's. Monsters out and free…what could it mean? My mind was only half on the swordplay, the rest dwelling on purple-skinned creatures and a swinging, open gate.

_Whack!_

Rusl smacked his wooden training sword against mine with unusual force.

"Focus," he growled, and lunged at me again. Before I could, the blunted point of his sword drove into my stomach, knocking my mind off of its anxious circling, and knocking i_me/i_ flat on my back.

"Get up," he snapped. No friendly smile or pat on the back as I gripped his arm and heaved myself up – just silence between us as I lurched back into training, my thoughts still on the forest.

I toweled off my hair with a large square of terry cloth after training, my mind in an anxious tumble. Just as I turned toward the tree-house, Rusl caught me by the shoulder.

"Let's take a walk."

"A walk?"

"Yes." The thick-muscled man jerked his head toward the trail leading out of my clearing, away from the village – to the forest. "Wood needs gathering."

"All right," I agreed, pumping my fists. "Just let me – " I gestured with towel in hand to the tree-house's leafy branches.

"Sure." Rusl stepped back and folded his arms.

I gripped the ladder and climbed, pulling my knees high past my waist to let out my excess energy. My mind was racing again as I tossed my now-damp cloth into the sink. After _everything_ he and Uli had done for me the past three years…my heart beat painfully. I shouldn't have taken Colin out so far.

I slipped down the ladder again. My feet pounded flat on the dusty ground.

"Saddle up Epona," Rusl ordered, "and let's go."

We gathered timber out in the Faron woods, completely in silence, except for the creak of branches being pulled out or down and the steady whoosh-and-thud of our axes. Rusl set a bundle on the saddle and strapped it down. I kept swinging.

"Colin told me what happened."

I paused, my axe slowing for a moment. In the absence of its methodical swings, the forest's sounds seeped up around me. Crickets buzzing and the prickle of Rusl's keen eyes on the back of my head sent a hot flush through my cheeks, till I swung the axe again. I felt a flash of resentment for being turned in, quickly overtaken by shame. I turned around.

"I – "

"The forests aren't what they used to be, Link."

I gripped the axe's handle in my fist. "What do you mean?"

"They're not the same forests you came through three years ago. Creatures like that have been roaming the forests, more and more lately."

"Creatures like those grandpa men - ?"

"Bokoblins." Rusl interrupted. "They're called Bokoblins. They don't seem interested in our village…" His dark gaze shifted off my face, to focus somewhere off into the warm green of the surrounding trees.

I waited until finally he came out of his reverie, and clapped his hand on my shoulder. "With the training I've given you over the years, you're strong enough to handle them and anything else you might run into out here. But don't take anyone else past the spring if you needn't." His tone grew reproachful. "Not Ilia, none of the adults unless they must, and i_certainly/i_ not the children."

A heavy swell of guilt hung in my gut. Rusl let the moment sit for a bit, then released his grip on my shoulder.

"Come on, boy," he said. "Let's gather up this wood."

With Epona's back heavily laden, we headed back down the trail. Rusl led her by the reins, but I kept my hand on her rust-red neck, stroking her fine coat as we plodded along the path. She couldn't hear my guilty thoughts, but I drew comfort from her warmth and familiar smell all the same.

Rather than taking us home, Rusl guided my mare into the seclusion of Faron's spring. The late afternoon sunlight filtered through layers of leaves and brush to imbue the sheltered area with a soft glow. Light glided along the surface of each gentle ripple in the spring's waters. I felt a tingle on the back of my hand.

We settled the bank's slight incline, near the water's edge. Rusl rested his elbows upon his knees, watching the water.

"Three years?" he asked. I nodded. He nodded, too, shifting in his spot.

"You've come a long way," he said softly. "It's not easy…. I know what it's like, to lose your folks." He took in a deep breath and looked out over the water as the light grew increasingly gold with the sun's lowering light. "But you've come a long way."

I nodded again. Ordon was my home, now. A long silence passed, with nothing but the water's gentle ebb and flow to fill our ears. My thoughts wandered back, to a time before I had come here.

"Tell me..." Rusl lifted his thick brows, watching the spring water thoughtfully. "Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?"

i_Yes._/i The times when dreams of my mother lingered most in my memory…when I could i_almost_/i remember what I had been dreaming.

"They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs..." he continued, heedless of my thoughts, and lost in his own. "The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight..."

_Mother…._

Rusl caught my expression from the corner of his eye. "Enough talk of sadness." He bumped my arm with his fist to bring me out of my wistful thoughts. "I have a favor to ask of you, Link."

"A favor?" I repeated.

The swordsman nodded. "I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow."

"The shield?" I asked. Ilia had mentioned something to me about this the other day. On my birthday, before she had stopped talking to me. Gotten busy, that is. "For the Festival?"

Rusl raised an eyebrow.

"Ilia told me," I explained. "Her dad…"

"Yes." Rusl chuckled. "She _would_ know." He lifted his eyebrows at me again with the ghost of a knowing grin. I picked up a twig and began studiously pulling off its leaves, one by one.

Rusl cleared his throat. "It's for us to present at the Hyrule Festival to the Royal Family, to show loyalty to the kingdom," he went on. "It was a task set to me by the mayor, but I want you to go instead. You've never been to Hyrule, right?"

I nodded, and dropped the now-bare twig to instead twirl a blade of grass in my fingers. My mother and I had been a lot of places, but never to Hyrule itself. Not that I could remember, anyway.

Rusl grunted in acknowledgment. "In the kingdom of Hyrule there is a great castle, and around it is Castle Town, a community far bigger than our little village." He let out a big breath, and lifted his eyes to the sky. "And far bigger than Hyrule is the rest of the world the gods created."

Rusl was silent for a long time. I dropped the shredded pieces of my blade of grass, and they fluttered with the breeze to drift upon the water. He turned to me.

"You're meant for more than this, Link."

I stopped, then scrunched my face up in protest. "What - ?"

"I haven't been training you these past three years just to be another protector for our little village. The world's a big place, bigger even than you even saw with your mother. It's huge, Link." He met my stare. "You should look upon it all with your own eyes."

My _own_ eyes. I imagined it. Leaving Ordon to see the world, all the places I had never been. Not i_looking_/i for someone who couldn't be found, but seeing the world…

"It's getting late." Rusl slapped his own knee and got to his feet. "We should head back to the village. But I'll talk to the mayor about this, all right, Link?"

"Yeah," I agreed. Hyrule Castle, and the Royal Family. A real adventure, but with a home to come to. "Yeah, that's great."

Rusl and I led Epona back down to Ordon, and locked the village gate behind us.


	3. Chapter Three: Monkey Business

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS

Chapter Three

_Monkey Business_

"Link!"

Unh...? I looked up, blinking the sleep out of my eyes.

"Hey, Link!"

It sounded like Fado. I rolled out of bed, snapped myself to attention and poked my head out the window.

"Morning Fado," I called, my throat still crusty. I cleared it and shaded my eyes against the morning sun. "Something the matter?"

"Yeh," Fado answered, scuffing his sandals sheepishly along the ground. He looked much the same as he had three years ago - muscled arms, dark eyes, wide cheekbones touched with freckles and a small, square chin. He was tanner, with more weathered skin, but no less of his bumbling concern.

"Yeh, I know I said today was your day off, but the goats are awful skittish this mornin'..."

Ah, Fado. Gotta love the man...but he wasn't the most dependable in the world. I slipped back inside my tree house to get dressed.

"Would ya mind helping me out?" he continued. "Just a bit," he qualified, not even aware that I'd already left the window and was strapping my over-sleeve on. "You'd be free to go relax by midday. I know Miss 'Pona's done a lot o' good, hard work the past couple weeks - "

I finished tying on my sash and sat down to lace my sandals up. "...I figure," Fado continued, "what with your goin' on that trip tomorrow and all - hey!"

"Hey what?" I asked, just coming out the door. I climbed down the tree house's ladder, but before I even reached the ground I sensed what Fado had found missing.

Epona's post was empty.

"Heck, where's your mare?" Fado asked. "How we gonna do all this work without 'er?"

"It's okay," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder to calm him. "Head back to the ranch and I'll catch up in a moment, kay?"

"...A'right," he said, glancing over his shoulder as he turned away. "Just join me when you can, okay?" He disappeared down the path to the village.

There's one thing you've got to understand about Epona and me. She and I have always had a bond, ever since my mom gave her to me a full nine years ago. If you have a horse, one that's i_yours/i_ and you feed her and take care of her and you've been with her for years, traveled with since she was a filly and you were a kid, and you always had each other no matter what else changed...you get what I mean.

Epona loves to wander, but she's always there when I need her. I knew exactly where she would be, and with whom. I shook my head.

_Ilia..._

Beyond the tree house, down the small canyon's dirt path that leads to Ordon's gate, is Ordona's Spring. I went there often - it was where I'd been watching Colin just a few days ago, before I took him across the bridge and beyond our village.

It was a soothing place. The villagers had a folk tale, almost more like a reverent belief, that a sacred spirit lived here.

As soon as I stepped from dirt to sand, into the spring's cove, everything worrisome in my head just sank away.

"C'mere girl," I heard Ilia say softly, as she reached out her hand and carefully approached Epona. It didn't strike me until now...and even in this moment, it didn't so much strike me as rise up from my subconscious awareness as I smiled at the scene. I'm not sure when or how...but somewhere in there, Ilia had grown up.

"Yes, dear," she cooed in a soft, tender voice, finally touching her fingers to Epona's velvety nose. "Yes, you're beautiful, aren't you? Such a sweet horse..."

I coughed, embarrassed to have stumbled into this personal moment Ilia was having with my horse. Embarrassed but also...I didn't know how to explain it. I loved that she loved something that I loved so much.

"Oh, hi, Link," Ilia said, turning to me with a smile.

"Hi," I answered, a little wary. Without realizing it, I'd spent the last three days preparing for some kind of...blow-up, when Ilia would reveal to me why she hadn't been spending time with me - been mad at me, I guess. A revelation that would include a lot of righteous indignation, finger-pointing and angry eyes.

"I washed Epona for you!" She beamed, her green eyes bright and warm.

My expression softened. I liked this better.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, taking a step into the ankle-deep spring water.

"Mhmm," she answered, watching me stroke my horse's neck. "Epona's a girl, too, so you have to remember to treat her like one."

I grinned and shook my head. I knew how to treat Epona better than I knew how to treat girls.

"Hey Link..." Ilia started.

_Oh, here it comes... _The blow up. I braced myself for her wrath.

"You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?"

She sounded hesitant. Not what I was expecting.

"Uh, yeah, yeah I am - as soon as I help Fado finish up ranch work, Epona and I'll be heading out."

She nodded, quiet for a moment, then smiled again. I heaved an internal sigh of relief. Girls and their moods...

"Hey, can you play that song for me?"

"Huh?"

"You know," Ilia prodded, bumping my shoulder. I backed away a bit, and Ilia grinned, stroking Epona's face again in my stead. "Whistling, on a blade of grass like you do? The song that Epona likes? I tried to play it for her but I just can't seem to play it the way you can."

"Hm." I grunted, but the corner of my lip twitched. "I guess I can do that."

With a last pat to Epona's neck, I ducked away toward the shore and searched for a blade of grass. You can't whistle on just any grass - it's got to be the right width, strong and long enough...I plucked a good fat one, and smoothed it between my fingers.

Ilia watched from a distance as I pinched the top of the blade between the tips of my two thumbs, then held the bottom of it in a similar manner with the pads at the base of each thumb. The resulting gap where my thumbs curved away from each other held the blade of grass taut down the center. I put my lips to it and blew one note, for practice. Epona's ears perked up.

I smiled, the smile that belongs only to Epona, and blew again: three notes descending in a phrase, then repeated...even though it didn't match exactly, it reminded me of the rhythm of her hooves when we rode together, loping fast through forest trails.

Epona reacted the way she had for years: tossing her head, she whinnied in recognition and trotted up to me, nuzzling her face against my stomach. I rested my forehead on hers. "Love you too, girl," I whispered.

"It's such a nice melody," Ilia said, a hint of longing in her voice. I knew what she was thinking. For as long as I'd been here, Ilia had envied the connection Epona and I shared. If Epona would react to i_her_/i call in this way...well, Ilia would probably die of joy on the spot.

I wondered how that felt. To feel yourself drawn to something, someone, the way Ilia was and always had been to Epona...and to have that someone always choose another over you.

Poor Ilia. Epona really did like her. But Epona and me were like...parts of the same whole. I felt as if, despite her hopes, Ilia knew already that she would never be a part of that.

I paused, feeling awkward again. Ilia half-smiled, though I could tell by her eyes that my thoughts were pretty much on the rupee for this one.

Then her smile perked up. "Bet it gets inconvenient, having to stop and search for grass every time you want to whistle a tune, yeah?" she teased.

"Yeah, well..." I tilted my head, grinning. "Guess that's what I get for never learning to whistle on my own, huh?"

"Really?" Ilia's hands dropped to her sides. From the way her eyes widened I could tell she was genuinely surprised. I leaned back on a boulder, one hand still on Epona's neck while she continued to nuzzle my stomach.

"What, you didn't know that?" I laughed.

"No!" Ilia crossed over toward me, standing beside the rock. "You mean you can't just - you know - " Ilia puckered her lips into an "O" and whistled a trill.

"Nope."

"Not even a straight note?"

"Not even."

"Well?" She put her hands on her hips, exasperated.

"Well what?" I crossed my arms, leaving Epona to mosey around the spring water. With a bit of snorting and huffing she managed to lap up a few gulps of the healing waters.

"Well, aren't you gonna try, at least?" Ilia leaned forward.

"What, and fail?" I laughed. "Not a chance."

"Come on!" she urged, crossing her legs to sit on the rock beside me. She put her hands on her knees and whistled Epona's song. _iDa-da-da.../i_

Epona jerked her head up from the other side of the spring and snorted, indignant to see that it wasn't me making the sound.

"Try it," Ilia said. "Just like this." She made her lips into an "O" shape again. Sighing inside, but kinda pleased to have her sitting this close with me, I copied her, and puckered my mouth up into an "O."

"No, no no," Ilia admonished through giggles, "not like - haha! Not like you're gonna kiss a _frog_ or something!" She bent over her own knees in laughter, and slapped mine playfully.

A jolt went through my stomach at her touch. I laughed too, mostly for cover.

"No," Ilia said again, holding her hand up in front of her mouth to stop her giggling. "No, like...don't stick out, kind of pull 'em into a tight circle...like this." She demonstrated again, this time whistling a flat tone.

I tried again, mimicking what she had done, but ended up with..._Hhhhplh..._

"Ordona's horns, Link, don't let your tongue flop out! Pull it in, press the tip against your gums. Squish the back of your tongue against your back teeth." She demonstrated one more time.

I licked my lips and imitated the shape she made, this time with an uneven, airy note, but a note nonetheless.

"Good! Good!" Ilia clapped. "Then to change the note, just keep your lips as a whistle the same, but open your jaw up wider. Like this." She put her hand around my chin and squeezed my jaw and cheeks with her fingers, guiding the shape it made.

I faked a laugh, that ended up being an actual, nervous laugh, and shrugged my warm face out of her grip. Ilia didn't seem perturbed at all. In fact, she glanced away and then back, smiling shyly. It looked as if her own cheeks were glowing a bit.

I gave her a half-smile. "Heh." I tried the whistle again just for something to do, this time thinking of Epona's song as I tried...

The song was shaky at best, but Epona recognized it. She got almost up to a trot before she pulled short, almost bowling me over with her nuzzling this time. I laughed, a full, honest laugh this time, and hugged Epona's face.

"She looks happy," Ilia noted, looking as if she felt the same. I could almost pretend I didn't see any pink left in her cheeks.

"She is," I said, tugging on Epona's reins. "Thanks."

"My pleasure."

We were quiet for a moment. Well, a little longer than a moment. A couple moments.

We started talking at once.

"You know I'm - "

"So today's the - "

Both of us cut off.

"You first," I gestured. Ilia looked a bit flustered.

"So, um," she said, curling her hair around the palm of her hand. "Today's your last day off before you go to Hyrule, right?"

"Kinda," I said, half-shrugging in apology. "It was supposed to be my day off, but Fado needs some help this morning. But I'm gonna be off by midday or so," I added in a rush. "If you want to..."

Yeah, as if I knew what was supposed to be at the end of that sentence.

"No," Ilia said, to my great relief. "No, I've got something I've gotta do..."

"What, something you _have_ to do on my last day here before I go out all who knows where to do who knows what?" I raised my eyebrows.

She gave me a look. "To Hyrule, to give the Royal Family a sword and shield, you mean."

I shrugged. "Same thing."

Ilia laughed, but went on. "No, no...it _is _something I need to do. Something I need to finish," she amended. "Before you go..."

I drew a blank for a moment. Then I remembered. "My birthday present?"

Ilia shot me a dazzling smile, then pat Epona heartily on the back. "Well, she's all prettied up now, so I suppose you can ride her to the ranch!"

"Is it my birthday present?" I asked again, pressing the issue as I swung up into the saddle.

"Don't you make her do too much, okay?"

"Come on, Ilia!" Epona circled around once I mounted, and I pulled her reins up in one hand.

"What's the matter? Aren't you going to help out at the ranch?" Ilia smiled sassily, then gave Epona a slap to the flanks to get her going.

"All right, all right already! See you later!" I called, coming alert when Epona lunged forward.

"Have a good day," Ilia answered, softly enough that I almost didn't hear as Epona and I trotted out of the spring.

* * *

It takes a long time to get over fear. Some things, no matter how often you do them, trigger this rush of adrenaline you'd have to be _inhuman_ not to feel. Long ears aside, I am definitely human, in that respect at least.

The trick is, feeling the rush is fine - so long as you use it right.

It was past noon, so the day was mine to do with as I pleased. I edged along the top of a tree branch, resisting the urge to crouch down and crawl to the tip instead of just walk it. The whole purpose of this little fear exercise was to use the heightened awareness my adrenaline gave me, and turn it to my advantage in keeping my balance and focus. So crawling would _completely_ undermine the point. All the same, I thought, if I were going to look down it would be a long, long way.

I took another step forward along the thick branch, making sure the soles of my sandals found purchase on the bark before I shifted my weight. A week ago I hid at least thirty rupees' worth of my own jewels around the village, all in hard-to-reach places...the deal with myself is basically, I get to use my money if I can find it again. Keeps me in shape and in practice.

And yes, this is _definitely _my idea of a good day.

I reached into the leafy twigs where the branch narrowed and found a small pouch of rupees tangled in with them. Perfect.

"Colin, catch!" I flung a yellow rupee down to the grass below.

I heard a small shimmering thud and an "ow!" when it hit his head. I sat back on my haunches and laughed.

"Your voice carries well, as usual!" Jaggle, the stocky, tan-skinned father of two of the kids, shouted from the ground.

"Same to you, Jag!" I shouted back. He laughed.

I heard some anxious muttering and the phrase "my wife..." from the man next to him. It was the store-keeper's husband, Hanch.

Jaggle laughed and punched the frailer man's arm. "Aw Hanch, the day your wife STOPS hassling you..."

"No, no no, this time it's serious! Those monkeys, you know the ones that've been poking out of the forest? Sera thinks they've been stealing the store's goods..."

Only half-listening as I got to my feet, I heard Jaggle's voice again. "...and Uli said her new baby cradle's missing too, yeah? Well..."

Carefully, I regained my balance along the tree's sturdy branch. _Good thing it's not windy today,_ I thought.

Then I jumped.

The air rushed past my face and body in a blur, but my focus was on landing. The soles of my feet hit the ground, but before my weight could fall on them and crush my ankles I rolled forward. The shock distributed throughout my spine as I rolled. My momentum carried me forward, head curled between my legs, till I finally came to rest in a sitting position on the ground.

"Link! What are you - ?"

I looked up, giving Hanch a somewhat dizzied smile as I waited for the world to find its balance again. When I got my focus, I saw that he was clutching his heart as if having an attack. Jaggle roared with laughter from behind him.

"Liiink!" Jaggle's rambunctious son, Talo, rushed forward and leaped onto my chest. "Link, that was _amazing!_" In his enthusiasm, he socked me in the face by accident. _Ouch._

"Whoa, whoa, let my eyes straighten out for a second!" I plucked him off my chest and dropped him on the ground, rubbing my jaw.

"Oh, Link!" came an exceptionally airy young voice.

"Hello, Beth," I answered as I got to my feet. She fluttered her little eyelashes at me.

"Hi," she sighed. _Oh, boy…_ Beth must have woken up and discovered boys didn't have cooties today.

Talo immediately struggled closer, shoving his shoulder against hers while he stuck his tongue in her direction. She cried out and pushed him back.

"Oh, B-beth, you really shouldn't - " Hanch started, edging toward his daughter as the two children fell into a tussle.

Jaggle was a little more firm.

"Hey, _kids!" _he roared, glaring down at them. Even being on the short side, the man could really pull out the intimidation factor. "Play nice!"

They stopped.

Little Malo, Talo's younger brother, waddled up to me. He looked at me with intense purpose in his eye, and he wasted no time in making it known.

"Beth's mom is selling a slingshot."

"Is that so, now?" I asked. I raised my eyebrow at him.

Malo didn't respond to my teasing. Just stared at me. If looks could kill, I would be dying a slow, painful death under the power of his scrutiny. I shook the shudder out of my spine.

"Here," I said, flinging at the kids three of the precious yellow rupees I had just gotten back. "Buy me a slingshot and I'll show you how to use it, all right?"

"Wah!" Talo leaped for the jewels, and the other two children clamored after him.

"That all right?" I asked Jaggle and Hanch, making sure after-the-fact that I wasn't breaking any kind of family rules or anything. Hanch sighed in defeat, but shook his head. Jaggle just shrugged. "Fine by me."

"Right. I'll see you kids at the tree house, all right?" I called over my shoulder. The other two children huddled around Talo and the rupees, their voices hushed and awed.

I headed up the path to my home, but something felt off. I glanced to the side and saw Colin, hovering close to the edge of the tree, still clutching one yellow rupee in his hand. He caught my eye, then tried immediately to avoid it.

"You okay, buddy?" I motioned for him to come closer and walk with me.

He nodded and glanced behind him, at Talo, Malo and Beth all pushing each other toward the shop.

I knew the look on his face. It was the one I used to wear, before I had Epona, every time in my childhood travels that I saw a group of kids playing together.

"_Want to join them?_" Mom would ask. I would shake my head, too scared, too proud to admit that I wanted to run around with a bunch of kids who didn't even notice me.

"_Chin up,"_ she would tell me, tipping my face up with her finger. Then she'd smile. _"You'll grow into it."_

She was right. Somewhere along the line, I learned how to jump in, open my mouth and talk to strangers, invite others to feel relaxed and open by giving out my own comfortable vibe.

But...

I put my hand on Colin's shoulder. The times I'd felt distant, detached and alone...they didn't hurt me anymore, not exactly. But every stab of self-consciousness, every time I wondered what was wrong with me or why I couldn't make friends...it left its mark. Not a mark like a scar. More like the thoughts, the feelings I experienced were written somewhere inside my bones, and I could tap into those feelings, even now that they were gone.

It would get better, for Colin. He was a lot like me. One day he'd find that thing that made it all suddenly worth fighting past, and then it would click. But right now...it hurt.

I squeezed Colin's shoulder. "Wanna help me brush Epona?"

His eyes brightened. "Ooh, yeah!" He took off up the hill, his blond hair flipping in the wind.

I folded my arms, looking after him for a moment, the way he kicked up the dirt in his excitement to spend some big guy, one-on-one time with me.

Yeah...

When all was said and done...he'd be just fine.

I followed him up the trail.

"So I hear you've been working on something, mm?" I hinted as I brought out Epona's brushes and handed one to Colin.

"Me?" he asked, circling around to her other side.

"Watch her hooves," I reminded him.

"Right." Colin furrowed his brow in concentration, dragging his stiff-bristled brush across Epona's coat. As I untangled and softened part of Epona's stubborn, two-sided mane, I peeked over her back. I saw Colin mouth the words _working on something..._

"Oh!" He jumped, grabbing Epona's lead rope as he peered around her hitching post. "You mean your present...?"

"Something like that," I answered, wetting the corner of my lip with my tongue and smirking.

"What do you know, what do you know? No one told you what it is, did they?" he cried in consternation.

"Oh, no," I lied lightly. "I just heard there was a masterpiece on its way, that's all!"

"A masterpiece?" Colin mumbled, flushing with the praise.

I grinned, pleased. "How about I come by your house to pick up my present some time today, yeah?"

"Okay!" Colin beamed. After few moments, though, when I had moved back to Epona's tail, he spoke in a far less cheerful tone. "Well..."

The familiar sounds of squabbling echoed up the canyoned path to my home.

"Liiink!" I turned to see Talo running towards me, the new slingshot lifted before him like some kind of trophy.

"Oh Talo, it's not that great!" Beth complained, leaping to grab it all the same. Malo was waddling faster than I had ever seen him go, though his perpetual scowl was still engraved on his tiny forehead, as per usual.

The three of them skidded to a halt at my feet, wheezing for breath.

"Give me…the slingshot," Malo demanded, his little chest heaving.

"No!" Talo stood on his tiptoes. "It's Link's so we gotta give it to _him!_" He waved it in my face. "Here, Link!" he practically shouted.

I plucked it out of his hands, moving away from Epona to give her some space from the antsy children.

"Will you show it to us? Oh _please?_" Beth threw herself at my feet, batting her eyelashes again. Sweet spirits of the spring, who had taught her that one…?

"Show us how powerful it is," Malo chimed in.

I tried to smother a grin before I glanced at Colin. "That okay if I do, bud? You can come watch, too!"

Talo turned too, giving Colin a distinctly annoyed look.

"Oh…no…" Colin leaned closer to Epona. "I'll just watch from here…"

I felt a twinge of unease, but shrugged it away and smiled at him before turning to the other children, who clamored for my attention.

"Go for that knothole!"

"No, the target range! Use the target range!"

"Oh, shoot anything," Beth said airily. "Those immature little boys won't shut up about it till you do!"

I grinned, and took quick stock of my surroundings. There were the scarecrows I used for sword practice, a few targets set up in the trees… I picked up the sling shot and squeezed its handle, getting my palm used to the grip. It was pretty nice, for a kids' toy. Polished handle, and the sling had nice elasticity.

"Come _on,"_ Talo urged.

"I bet he can't even do it…" Malo muttered.

I stretched the band a few times, glanced over my shoulder both ways, then let off five quick rounds.

Four of the five targets burst from the force, all in quick succession.

"WHOA!" Talo shouted, and even Malo's eyes widened.

"Oh, Link, that's amazing!" Beth wringed her fingers together in admiration.

"He only hit four," Malo pointed out, ever the naysayer.

I raised my eyebrows.

"What? Where's the fifth one, Link?" Talo looked around excitedly, catching on before any of the others. "Is it – LOOK!" He started jumping up and down, pointing towards the trees. "LOOK, he got my knothole!"

And sure enough, a round nut of ammo nestled firmly in the bark of a huge oak tree.

"Well." Malo frowned.

Colin giggled from behind Epona, but ducked his head when the others turned to look. Talo rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Link, why don't you show us some _sword_ stuff too?"

"Stuff?" I raised my eyebrow.

"You know, your crazy moves!" He whipped out his own play sword – a long, smooth stick with his initials carved in it - and slashed through the air. "Someday I'm gonna be the _best_ swordsman Ordon's ever seen…hyah!"

Talo leapt forward, lunging to the ground. The back of my neck prickled. I frowned, wondering why.

Then I heard a faint squeaking. Beady eyes, a flash of pink. A monkey lingered on the pathway at the edge of the forest, looking somewhat surprised to see human-folk here at this time of day. A monkey? Like Jag mentioned in town -

Talo's eyes widened. "Hey, it's that pesky _monkey!_" His face twisted in anger and he raised his tick, leaping towards it. "C'MERE, YOU!" he yelled.

The monkey skittered away. Beth, Malo and Talo ran after it.

I didn't take time to think, only react. I tore after them, Rusl's words from a few days before running through my mind. _And certainly not the children… _His reproachful gaze lingered in my memory.

I hacked at a patch of long, yellowing grass as I shouted their names. "Talo! Malo! _Beth!_"

"Over here!" Beth gasped, clutching a stitch on her side.

"Are you okay?" I picked her up. "Where are Talo and Malo?"

"They went chasing like crazy people after that monkey. I can't keep up with those two..."

I put her down. Malo, Talo, _alone_ out there, with Bokoblins about?

"Go home," I ordered her.

"But - !"

"_Go home!_" I roared.

I sprinted past her. How fast could those a couple little urchins and a monkey run? Faster than I had anticipated…unless something else had swept them up?

_No,_ I thought. _We're still in Ordon territory._

"Link!" I heard from behind me.

"Beth, I said go _home!_" I turned sharply, but rather than Beth, I saw Colin, leading Epona.

"Here," he said, trembling as he stared down the path behind me. "It's…faster…" He was obviously terrified of being out here again, and terrified of the intensity on my face.

I jumped on Epona's back, barely pausing to give thanks.

"Go home, Colin!" I shouted, and with a "hyah!" dug my heels into Epona's rust-colored sides.

We whipped past the spring. I felt the familiar tingling on my hand, but didn't bother to look down at it.

Epona nearly shuddered to a halt as we approached the bridge. I slapped her hindquarters. "No!" I said, urging her forward across the wooden planks. "You listen to me all right? We're safe!"

Stomach heaving, she obeyed my command, though her eyes didn't shrink into their normal size and shape until we reached the opposite edge.

"Good girl," I murmured, slowing down now.

Long, yellowing grass rose in patches along the path. The forest's familiar rustlings now seemed threatening, as if every scuff or sound could be a threat to my kiddos. I searched the grass for a small fallen body as we moved forward, but seeing none, didn't linger.

"Come on!" I kicked Epona to a faster rhythm now. We jumped over that same fence I had carried Colin over not three days prior…

My hips swung back and forth in rhythm with her lope, hoofs beating the ground. No sign of the children…

Epona came to a sudden halt, rearing on her hind hooves.

"Whoa, Epona!" I clutched the reigns as she reared again. "Whoa."

My breath caught as I saw where we were.

The gate. The cave...

I jumped off Epona's back.

I heard a cry echo from the darkness.

"I'm coming!" I shouted, and charged into the tunnel's depths.


End file.
